Have you grown bitter towards God because you believe He failed you? It is incredibly self-righteous to that think that God, creator of the universe, owes you everything you feel that you deserve. The hard-to-swallow truth is: He doesn't.
Just because you pray every day and devote your life to Christ doesn't mean that you will get everything you want in life. It can be incredibly frustrating to go through, especially if you had desired something you thought God was excited to give you. You might feel betrayed, angry, and sad. You might even go as far to say that God is a traitor, because He could have prevented this suffering from happening.
We all process pain in our own ways, but understand that you are not the first Christian to ever have gone through these feelings, and you certainly won't be the last. Failed jobs, relationships, pregnancies, and the like all make it feel like Jesus is pulling the rug right out from under you. It's only natural to go through a grief process after.
There are ways that you can move through the pain you feel and begin to build trust God again. When you feel like He has failed you, use these tips to help you recenter your focus on Christ. You'll be able to bounce back stronger than ever.
Remember feelings are not facts.
The secular world will tell us to follow our heart and go with our feelings, but the truth is our feelings aren't always stable and rational. With each event that happens in our day-to-day lives, our feelings can change. When we act out based on our feelings, rather than logic, we tend to only make ourselves feel more pain in the end.
We should acknowledge what we are feeling, why we are feeling it, and how to move through it in a healthy way. Are you actually mad at God, or are you frustrated you just didn't get your way? Are you displaying anger to those around you when in reality you are sad and need their support? Taking a step back to examine your emotions can help you get honest with God. He then will remind you that He has bigger and better plans for you than this suffering. His Word tells us that God will never leave us and that there is something greater in store. This is fact.
Trust in God's plan for you.
Isaiah 55:8 says “'My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,' says the Lord. 'And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine...'” God already has a plan for your life and is excited to see what amazing things you will do for His glory. Despite the setback you are facing now, there are better things on the horizon. God sees our future and it is an exciting one.
Sometimes, we simply cannot understand why we are going through the things we are. We are near-sighted and unable to see from God’s perspective. It’s in those times where we simply must let go, surrender, and trust that He knows what He is doing. We must look to His past faithfulness to us, the promises in His Word, and cling to the hope that He will never leave us nor forsake us. This is easier said than done, but it's good to remind yourself each day despite feeling that He left you. Everything you are going through isn’t without reason.
Get to know God more.
When you feel like pushing God away the most, it's really the time that you should be clinging to His love. Trust in the Lord comes from knowing Him, which means spending time with Him in prayer and by reading the Bible. The more we learn about Christ, the more connected we will feel towards His Word. We build a more intimate and deep relationship with Him, and can better communicate our feelings.
One truth that can be hard for Christians to grasp is that God allows both good and bad things to happen to us (Lamentations 3:38). If we know Him better, however, we will be able to see that this is how He works, and that He will still carry us through the bad times. The Bible tells us this over and over again.
The Bible gives us many examples of people who underwent trials and difficulties even though they were godly and faithful. Job, for instance, suffered greatly from poverty, disease, and the loss of his entire family. He wrestled with his understanding of God and his suffering, yet he never stopped trusting in God (Job 13:15), and eventually, was rewarded with more than he could ever imagine.
Isaiah 48:13 says “My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together.” There is nothing that happens in this universe that is out of the Lord’s control. He blesses us and brings us pain, and He gives and He takes. God’s power makes Him an easy target for blame. Yet, through compassion and understanding, when we yell at God He responds by reminding us of His undying love (Romans 2:4). Just as God receives our imperfect being as our Father, He receives our imperfect grief as our patient counselor.
There will be things that happen in your life that enrage you. You'll be frustrated because the expectations you set aren't being lived up to. These are just hard seasons with setbacks, and the key is to focus on and be grateful for God's guidance. There is an incredible freedom when you acknowledge that both God is good and He specifically designed a roadmap for your life to ultimately bring Him glory.
